The giant red lips and bright eyes on the hull are the work of German artist Feliks Büttner who had the Egyptian Princess Aida of Verdi’s opera in mind when he created the AIDA face.

The cruise line says the art embodies the playful spirit of the firm and gives the ship a “welcome feeling”.

Sven Richards, Port of Tyne operations manager vessels, said: “It will be a busy day, but we have been planning this for some time and have brought in additional staff resources to ensure a smooth operation.”

The AIDA Vita will stay overnight and sail at 8am on Tuesday, before four more passenger ships cruise in to the Port of Tyne.

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